GQ's Best Stuff '06

(TECH)

The Tesla Roadster

$100,000, www.teslamotors.com

The Tesla Roadster is about to shatter the electric car’s hippiemobile rep for good. “Most electric cars have been made by those who looked at them as a necessary evil,“ says Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard. “The problem is, the cars sucked.“ So Eberhard set out to create the world’s first mass-produced high-performance electric vehicle, and the result, unveiled this year, is truly astounding: It goes zero to sixty in four seconds, tops out at 130 mph, can travel 250 miles on a single charge, and has an equivalent gas mileage of 135 mpg. The first one hundred Roadsters have already sold out, but Tesla continues to take orders.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(TECH)

Motorola Bluetooth DJ Headphones S805

$150, www.hellomoto.com

Listen to your iPod and take calls wirelessly with this two-in-one marvel.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(TECH)

Philips Universal Remote Control SRU9600

$150, www.philipsusa.com

You don’t need five remotes cluttering up your coffee table. Programming this one is simple: Just point your old remotes at it, beam the info, and call it a day.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(TECH)

Pure Digital Camcorder

$130, www.puredigitalinc.com

Clean, compact, and unfussy, this camcorder is far easier to use than any other on the market, and it produces stunning video.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(TECH)

Sirius Stiletto Portable Satellite Radio

$350, www.sirius.com

Until the Stiletto, you had to be in your car or apartment to tune in to Sirius. Now you can take it wherever you go, so you can listen to Stern without interruption.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(SPORTING LIFE)

Ride Haze Snowboard Boots

$170, www.ridesnowboards.com

You’ll look cool and stay warm in these. And their idiotproof lock-down lace system means no more fumbling for a tight fit in twenty-degree weather.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(SPORTING LIFE)

Vlkl DNX 1 Power Arm Racket

$290, www.volkl.com

Vlkl’s Power Arm reduces twisting, and the superstiff graphite provides strength. Translation? More power and control for the weekend tennis player.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(SPORTING LIFE)

The North Face Spectrum 33

$290, www.thenorthface.com

A great tent needs to be light and aerodynamic. The Spectrum 33, which weighs four pounds five ounces, can withstand gusts up to 130 mph.

Rogan Gregory’s environmentally conscious Loomstate line uses only organic cottons that are free of pesticides. Inside this jacket, you’ll discover a cool, subtle wolf graphic—if she ever gives it back to you.

Photo: Paola Kudacki

(STYLE)

Toms Camouflage Canvas Shoes

$38, www.tomsshoes.com

Blake Mycoskie modeled these shoes after traditional Argentine footwear. For each pair he sells, he donates a pair to a child in need.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(STYLE)

Me&Ro Pendant

$120, www.meandrojewelry.com

A necklace all guys can pull off—a silver guitar pick strung on a simple cord. Profits go to the Step Up Women’s Network.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(STYLE)

Vans Era LX

$50, www.vans.com

With graphics by surfing legend Joel Tudor, these kicks benefit more than your board skills: Proceeds aid isolated surfing communities in the South Pacific.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(STYLE)

Levi’s Capital E ECO Jeans

$245, www.levi.com

Ecofriendly fashion doesn’t have to look like it was handsewn on a commune. These jeans are cut from organic cotton and feature recycled-metal buttons.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(STYLE)

Arbor Belt Buckle

$30, www.arborsports.com

Arbor has been making ecofriendly boards for a decade, and now they’re putting their leftovers to good use. This belt buckle is fashioned from unused wood and treated with an organic finish.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(STYLE)

Guess? T-shirt

$25, www.guess.com

Screen printed with a crossed-out rifle, this T-shirt benefits Invisible Children, a charity caring for young people in war-torn Uganda.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(STYLE)

Maison Martin Margiela T-shirt

$70, 212-989-7612

The elusive Belgian designer donates the profits from sales of this T-shirt to the Paris-based relief agency AIDES.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(HOME FRONT)

Corner Lamp

$200, www.designhousestockholm.com

Roberto Cárdenas has taken a rational approach to arrive at the sublime: He quartered a traditional floor lamp, allowing it to stand in a corner (snugly) or on its own (distinctively).

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(HOME FRONT)

Oak Table Modules

$877–$1,350, (212) 966-0669

Whether your decor is sleek or rustic, these Jasper Morrison tables—with their modernist lines rendered in natural oak—will give it a nudge in the opposite direction.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(HOME FRONT)

Dart Coat Hooks

$32 (set of three), www.suck.uk.com

It’s not bad aim; it’s your favorite bar game made functional. Anthony Chrisp’s stainless-steel darts screw directly into a wall and can hold even the heaviest coat.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(HOME FRONT)

Black LED Clock

$100, www.areaware.com

Jonas Damon strings together four cubes for a twist on the desk clock. Look at them as a disjointed representation of time or a playful jumble of numbers.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(KITCHEN)

Nigella Lawson Cheese Grater

$16, www.givinggallery.com

Working with Sebastian Conran, the voluptuous Brit offers a Parmesan grater that is easy to grip and turns the cheese into dust—the real Italian way.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(KITCHEN)

Ferran Adrià 7Bowls Stackable System

$350, www.facesdesign.com

The visionary Spanish chef teamed with two designers to create this space-saving system of bowls that can be used for mixing, straining, and even serving.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(KITCHEN)

Michel Bras Kai Knives

$230–$372 , www.braskai.net

Kai, a renowned Japanese knifemaker, and Michel Bras, a Michelin three-star chef, collaborated on this line of knives that achieve a prefect balance of strength and flexibility.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(KITCHEN)

Mario Batali Italian Essentials Pot

$100, www.surlatable.com

The Iron Chef turned to kitchen-design moguls Copco for this six-quart cast-iron pot—handsome enough to present at the table straight from the stove.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(ENTERTAINING)

Hermès St. Louis “Manhattan“ Large Old-Fashioned

$140, www.hermes.com

Top-shelf liquor deserves a worthy vessel, like this rocks glass from the label that knows a thing or two about sophistication.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(ENTERTAINING)

Christofle Serving Box

$475, www.christofle.com

With drinks come snacks—and snacks should never be presented in the bag you bought them in. This silver-plated serving tower fans out when opened, making even simple nuts look fancy.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(ENTERTAINING)

Baccarat for Chrome Hearts Naskull Ashtray

$2,160, 800-777-0100 or 212-327-0707

Don’t make your guests ash their cigarettes in a beer bottle. Let them reach for this Baccarat crystal ashtray, made by America’s coolest jewelrymaker.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(ENTERTAINING)

Georg Jensen Ice Bucket and Tongs

$200 (for both), 212-759-6475

This Danish-made stainless-steel ice bucket will make you want to drink everything on the rocks.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(ENTERTAINING)

Restoration Hardware Campaign Bar Cart

$799, www.restorationhardware.com

The fact is, there’s something about a bar cart that makes throwing back a few at home a much more civilized affair.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

(TRAVEL)

Samsonite Black X’Lite Garment Sleeve

$220, www.samsoniteblacklabel.com

Too often, suiters go limp when you set them down. But this year, Samsonite Black Label introduced a garment bag with some serious backbone.

The Tesla Roadster is about to shatter the electric car’s hippiemobile rep for good. “Most electric cars have been made by those who looked at them as a necessary evil,“ says Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard. “The problem is, the cars sucked.“ So Eberhard set out to create the world’s first mass-produced high-performance electric vehicle, and the result, unveiled this year, is truly astounding: It goes zero to sixty in four seconds, tops out at 130 mph, can travel 250 miles on a single charge, and has an equivalent gas mileage of 135 mpg. The first one hundred Roadsters have already sold out, but Tesla continues to take orders.